Arriving at “Q” :~( More Problems

 

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

 

“Q” is definitely a very well known place in the world of RVers.  After all, thousands and thousands converge on this small town in January.  At that time RV parks are overflowing at the seams and deserts fill up with every type of camper and RV.  “Q” is definitely the place to be then.  However, it is not a place to be during the summer when temperatures can soar about 110.  As fall arrives so do desert dwellers start arriving in small streams.

Actually “Q” is quite empty right now.  The parks have a splattering of folks and rigs but not too many.  There are lots of prime spots still available in the BLM but folks have started going in and homesteading for the winter.  Every type and kind of RV and camping gear and be found in this area over the next five or six months.  It’s a mecca of the RV world.  Folks congregate, have campfires, join music jams and just enjoy life.  Obviously most folks are retired.  They’ve worked most their life.  They have a few short years to enjoy a nomad lifestyle while they can and that's what they want to do.  They all know the time will come that this will no longer be possible for them.  Age tends to creep up.

 Barbara & Denise – in the wide open spaces.

We pulled out of Parker not really knowing where we would be heading that day.  Would it be “Q” or would it be the Phoenix area?  It ended up being “Q”.  It was a short day … about 30 miles.   Daily rates definitely aren’t cheap but monthly rates at these parks can be a bargain.  Many can be found right around $200 a month …. well, that is except for January and February when all festivities start and the Big Tent goes up.  The rates take a steep hike for those couple of months. 

Friday morning we still weren’t sure what we were going to do.  We knew we wanted to visit Barbara and Katie (Me and My Dog) and Denise (Sassy’s on ‘Da Road).  They had arrived at “Q” and already picked their ideal location.  Driving down the road into the LTVA we felt like we had arrived.  Thus, we decided to move and spend a few days at the BLM.  After all, we had great people to visit and trails and trails to ride on.  We were thinking things were looking up.  Wrong!

Ever feel like Job?  Most of you I am sure know who Job was.  Job was hit with one problem after another.  We feel like Job.  Now we’re wondering when it’s going to stop.  No sooner had we arrived, got set up and then discovered our six house batteries may have a full charge on them but they are not supplying any power to the coach – None!  Zippo!  Zilch! 

Barbara, Denise, Terry

No power is different than little power.  With no power the water pump doesn’t work, the on board generator doesn’t start and even the refrigerator doesn’t run on LP.  Thank goodness we also brought along our little Honda 2000.  We ran it until about 10:00 last night keeping the refrigerator door shut and then started in at 7:00 this morning.  Items in the freezer remained frozen and in the refrigerator they were still quite cold.  We are hoping to have a repair person out this morning.  Barbara used him in the past.  Denise had planned on calling for an issue she had so the phone number was handy.

We hesitated about moving into the desert in the first place. The reason was because of lack of air conditioning during the middle of the very warm days.  However, we did discover that the wonderful breezes through the open windows have done more to cool down the inside of the motorhome than the air conditioner did.  We like it here but obviously would like it better if everything was working as it should.  It’ll certainly be interesting to see how today goes and if “Bob” gets us all fixed up.  Our fingers are crossed as well as our toes.

Remember the little Verizon phone I mentioned we added to our list of gadgets?  Well, it was definitely a deal.  The phone was picked up at Wal-Mart.  The price of the phone itself was $14.98 but it included $10 worth of air time bringing the cost of the actual phone down to $4.98.  When we set up the phone we were given an option of plans.  This phone was just to be used as a temporary phone when we were in areas without a signal for our AT&T phones.  We wouldn’t be using it every day and actually we were hoping the need for it would be less than more. Verizon has a option where you can pay only for the days you use it.  That was the plan that would work best for us and at $1.99 per day was the cheapest option.  We think it was definitely a deal.

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So, this is Bob.  We think he knows what’s wrong.  We’re hoping this is the end of our problems.  That’s what we’re hoping.

And, now it seems all we know is that stupid tire we blew took a lot of things with it.  The ,transfer switch has now been replaced along with the main battery cut-off and we still have no 12 volt to the coach.  None, zero, zilch.

After nearly all day and replacing lots of wires and expensive gadgets, guess what they found ... a bad fuse.  We now have 12 volt to the coach.  Terry's talking to "Bob" while I update this blog.  The bill is next.  I don't want to see it.

'Tis an expensive life on the road.